Some would say that Taehyung gets attached to people too easily, but Taehyung himself wouldn't agree with the statement. Because even though he does actually get attached to the first layer of someone, the more he gets to know them and see their flaws, Taehyung easily pushes himself away and leaves people as if he was never a part of their lives. All he needs is a little reason, a little flaw, a hint of sourness in the relationship that'll make him avoid them like a plague.
Taehyung never succeeded in pushing away Jimin, since he was so clingy and determined to befriend him, nor did Taehyung succeed in distancing himself from Jin after seeing the cracks in the perfect facade Jin puts on. In result, Taehyung grew incredibly close with both, Jin and Jimin, which turned him into a protective little gremlin.
Taehyung easily got jealous and didn't like when both of them spent their time with other people, which would lead to Taehyung pulling nasty pranks on those other people until Jimin and Jin turned their attention back on him. And if someone dared to hurt them, the skies would part and a rain of fiery red meteors would fall onto the heads of those who dared to lay a hand on them.
Perhaps it was the fact that Jimin was the first genuine friend Taehyung had, or perhaps it was the fact that Jin had always been there when Taehyung needed some guidance or stability in his life, or perhaps it was both, that led to Taehyung seeing ruby red as he marched through the prison with fire crackling in his heart and raw anger slithering through his veins.
Taehyung looked deadly.
His once wide puppy eyes were now slitted and sharp as they snapped around in all directions- trying to seek out the man he was looking for- and his plump lips, that once held a bright boxy grin, now proudly held the snarl of a wolf as if it was a trophy Taehyung had achieved. His blond locks were frizzled in messy curls and long fingers were curled into tight fists. And as Taehyung's gaze landed on the single man laughing between a group of other men, Taehyung's expression cooled and feet led him into the direction of the group.
≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪
"Hey! Let me go!" Geonwu cried out in pain, wincing at the tight grip around the back of his neck. His shoes squeaked against the dirty floors as he was dragged forward by the livid kitty member.
It had all happened so quickly. One second Geonwu was bragging about what he had done to Suga and Jimin, while the next, someone rammed their fist into the face of one of his guys, followed by all of them laying beneath his feet with groans slipping past their lips and blood dripping down their noses. Geonwu was so shocked and confused- not understanding what had happened before he was dragged and ripped away from the group of groaning men. And, now, Geonwu had no idea where he was being dragged to but he could recognise the familiar door of the storage room.
"Shit!" Geonwu yelped in alarm, watching as Taehyung's large palm engulfed the door handle and pulled the door open. He was greeted by the sight of a pitch black room and shelves, filled with boxes, running in perfect rows throughout the room.
Geonwu wasn't able to look at the room for long because the next thing he knew, his body was pushed forward and he stumbled down the few metal stairs bellow him. Geonwu's body ached and cries bounced out of his mouth as his limbs smashed against the metal steps until his back finally collided with the dirty floor bellow.
Shivers of pain massaged through his body as he blinked up at the dark ceiling and watched the small shimmer of light, from the hallway, slip into the room. The light was cut off when the door clicked shut, followed by small thuds of Taehyung's shoes hitting the metal steps as he descended down the steps.
Taehyung's face stayed empty and eyes held nothing as he bent down and grabbed Geonwu by his scruff. He dragged him further into the room- struggling slightly as Geonwu screeched and trashed around in his grip. All of Geonwu's efforts seemed futile as Taehyung shut him up with a harsh smack to his mouth.
Geonwu's head flew to the side, followed by his entire form hitting the ground once Taehyung released his hold on him, "You...you're crazy.." Geonwu breathed out, pushing off of the ground and scrambling back, all while keeping his eyes locked onto Taehyung.
The shadows of the room embraced Taehyung, they blended in with the lust of revenge in his eyes and the scowl on the edge of his lips. It played with his blond locks and caressed the chub on his cheeks, until finally sliding down and touching his fingers as he raised his hand towards one of the boxes, resting in the shelf next to him.
The tension and eerie silence slithered into the room from underneath the door, and filled it to the brim. Taehyung's eyes never left Geonwu as he rummaged through the box until his fingers came in contact with something he could use.
Geonwu's breathing quickened and eyes bulged out at the sight of a metal wire hanging from Taehyung's fingers, "Li..listen, we can talk about this. You don't have to do this, man." Geonwu tried to reason with Taehyung- raising his hands up in surrender and pushing his feet against the ground to push himself further away.
But nothing he could say would change the emotion bubbling in the pits of Taehyung's stomach, nor would it change Taehyung's mind that was so set on standing over his dead body. So Taehyung merely peered down at the wire in his hands and wrapped it around his fingers. His legs moved forward and ears twitched as he listened to Geonwu's pleads and desperation of trying to make a deal with the deadly assassin.
"Please, please, I don't know what I did, bu..but I think you have me..mistaken for someone el..else" Geonwu shouted, allowing snot to gather in his nostrils and drip out of his nose. He raised his hand and wiped it away as it touched his upper lip.
Taehyung stopped in front of him, not even blinking at the disgusting sight in front of him. The two made eye-contact and stared at each other for a while- Taehyung's eyes remaining cold and void of emotion, while Geonwu's displayed the raw terror he felt inside.
But despite what Geonwu said or felt, Taehyung turned away from him and manoeuvred around him with tense shoulders and stiff strides. His grip around the wire tightened and eyes found a small place in the wall on the other side of the room as he stood behind Geonwu.
"Plea-"
With a swift movement, Taehyung's hands flung around Geonwu's head and the wire wrapped around his throat. A sharp gasp cut through the air, followed by croaked screams and choking as the wire tightened around Geonwu's neck to the point where it dug into his skin and drew blood.
The colour drained from Taehyung's fingers at the harsh grip he was using, and his muscles flexed as he forced Geonwu to stay still despite his trashing and struggling. Taehyung's eyes never left the spot he had chosen as he hissed and pulled his hands back- making the wire dig into Geonwu's skin and create a line of scarlet red along his skin.
Taehyung could feel everything. He could feel each push of Geonwu's palms against his hands, he could feel each kick to his legs, each breath he stole, each second that passed, He could feel the fact that he was killing someone. Taehyung could feel it all, until, finally, the light dimmed from Geonwu's eyes and his body slumped against Taehyung's stiff legs.
Yet despite the lack of motion from Geonwu, Taehyung stayed rooted in his spot- his hands trembling as they stayed clenched around the metal wire, and eyes prickling with tears. The blood from Geonwu's neck slid along the metal wire until it came into contact with Taehyung's pale fingers. A sharp gasp cut through the air as Taehyung jumped back in horror at the touch of blood. His chest rose and fell frantically as he peered down at his fingers and noticed the hint of ruby red on the edge of his pointer finger. Panic bloomed inside his chest, causing Taehyung to quickly look away and brush away the blood onto his clothes. His eyes danced around the room, yet pointedly avoided looking down at the dead body of Geonwu.
A small creak was followed by a click and bright lights switching on in the storage room. Taehyung's head swung up and eyes filled with horror as he finally noticed Hoseok standing on top of the staircase, staring down at him with thin lips.
Like a veil of protection had been lifted, dark thoughts swarmed around Taehyung's mind as he stared into Hoseok's brown eyes. His expression fell, along with his gaze, only to be met with the sight of the person he had just strangled. Taehyung stumbled back and peered back up at Hoseok in raw terror. He felt his heart cracking and tears forming in the corners of his eyes as Hoseok swallowed thickly and looked down at the dead body.
"You...okay?" Hoseok's voice washed over to the room like a warm summer breeze and a comforting caress to a broken heart.
Taehyung's teeth captured his lower lip and eyes stayed glued on the ground as he offered Hoseok a small nod. He shuffled on his feet, taking a hold of his bright red shirt and pulling it over his palms. He winced at the sound of Hoseok shifting around and walking towards the door- only to be wrapped in a hug by Hoseok's voice.
"How about we head back to our cell?"
Taehyung didn't say or do anything, only inhaled a lungful of air and stepped forward. His head lifted and gaze drifted away as he stepped over Geonwu's body, yet fell back on his shoes after he had passed the dead body. Taehyung could feel Hoseok's eyes burning into him as he dragged his feet forward and cautiously climbed the steps.
The heavy weight of guilt, shame, and self-hatred felt heavy on his shoulder. Taehyung felt like he was clinging onto a raft with the tips of his fingers- trying not to drown in the sea of emotions engulfing him. He used to have hope that Hoseok would perhaps reach out his hand to help him not drown, but after demonstrating to Hoseok what kind of person he was by murdering Geonwu, Taehyung was certain that Hoseok would be the one to help his fingers slip off of the draft in order for him to drown.
The two left the storage room without a single word uttered between them. Taehyung followed after Hoseok with his eyes cast down and shoulders slumped in sadness. Taehyung actually began to like Hoseok and his charming self, he could easily say that he has developed a crush on the man. But Taehyung knew that now all his chances were lost and Hoseok wouldn't even look his way since the man had stated himself that he didn't enjoy violence.
When the pair reached their shared cell, the tension between them had risen to the point where the other inmates avoided even breathing in their direction and allowed them to enter their cell peacefully.
Taehyung stopped in the middle of the cell, listening as Hoseok sighed and covered the cell door with a bright yellow blanket in order to give both of them some privacy. Taehyung wanted Hoseok to lash out, to scream at him and call him disgusting, to look at him like he was a monster and avoid him like he didn't deserve to breathe the same air as him. But Hoseok didn't do any of these things, instead, he calmly approached Taehyung and wrapped his hand around Taehyung's trembling one.
"Are you cold?" Hoseok murmured softly, raising Taehyung's curled fist and cupping it against his mouth. Taehyung's eyes finally lifted and connected with Hoseok's, the latter smiled back at him and exhaled his warm breath onto Taehyung's clenched hand.
After receiving a small shake of the head, Hoseok gently released Taehyung's hand and stepped around him to walk over to his desk. Taehyung chewed on his lip, wondering when will Hoseok start speaking and asking questions, when will he lash out and show his true emotions?
Taehyung didn't know, but he had to prepare himself for the worst scenario. So he waited, he waited with his eyes piercing through the back of Hoseok's head and body rotated towards him. The clock ticked, seconds turned into minutes, yet Hoseok remained standing over his desk and sliding his fingers over the sketches he had made.
Taehyung couldn't take it anymore, he allowed his face to harden and feet to stomp against the ground as he marched towards Hoseok. Taehyung grabbed him and whirled him around before pushing him into the desk harshly. Hoseok briefly winced as the edge of the desk dug into his lower back, only for Taehyung's hand to shoot out and grab one of his pencils from the desk before swinging it upward and pressing the tip against his jugular.
Taehyung's eyes were wild and frantic, they jumped between Hoseok's own wide ones as if the older would suddenly reach out and hurt him whenever the opportunity showed itself. His shoulders were tense and huffs fell from his lips, Taehyung's fingers shook around the small pencil as he glared up at Hoseok.
"You gonna kill me?"
The question made Taehyung flinch back, and allowed the pencil to slip out of his fingers and fall to the ground with a clatter. He blinked up at Hoseok with guilt in his eyes before shaking his head and taking a step back.
"I know you won't kill me, Tae." Hoseok sighed, cautiously reaching out a hand and allowing it to graze Taehyung's forearm. He watched Taehyung's reaction carefully but after seeing that he didn't flinch away, Hoseok's hand settled on his before pulling him closer.
Taehyung stumbled forward, staring down at Hoseok's chest as the older brushed his fingertips against his back, "You didn't kill Geonwu because you wanted to do it. You did it because it was expected of you." Hoseok breathed out, dragging his eyes down the length of Taehyung's nose and pausing at his puffy lips, "It's probably a habit you have created over the years whenever Jimin got hurt. Your first instinct is to get rid of the threat no matter the cost because you feel that if you didn't, then Jimin would think that you don't care about him as much as you used to. So even though you didn't want to kill Geonwu, you were forced to because it's something you have been doing for years." Hoseok breathed out, raising his hand and allowing his fingers to hover above Taehyung's cheekbone. Hoseok inhaled a deep breath and sucked in his cheeks before allowing his hand to fall to his side.
"But habits change along with people. You don't have to kill someone just because you used to do it, allow Jimin to handle the people that hurt him on his own." Hoseok cleared his throat, brushing past Taehyung and stepping closer to his bed. His hand brushed along the shirt he had laid out before someone had barged into his cell and informed him about what Taehyung was doing.
The muscle in Taehyung's jaw shifted and his eyes narrowed, a huff fell from his lips as he raised his hands and signed back to Hoseok, 'You think I want to kill people? You think I gain some sick fascination out of it or even money? I hate it! I hate it so much because it makes me hate myself! It makes me feel like I'm a monster and like I'm a horrible human being!'
Hoseok stared at his hands carefully, picking up everything that Taehyung's signed to him. His expression soured with every word and lips parted to say something to Tae, but the puppy eyed boy sneered and continued to sign, 'There used to be someone in this world, who was kind and loving, someone who had a family, someone who had never killed before! Someone like that deserves to be alive, not me! Not a ruthless murderer that was groomed to kill people.'
'I hate it all! I hate going on missions! I hate killing people! I hate being an assassin! I hate being a part of The Kitty gang!' Droplets of crystalline tears glazed over Taehyung's eyes and spilled over the edge. They rolled down his cheeks, only to be swept away by the sleeve of his shirt. Taehyung's hand movements had grown more messy and sloppy as he sunk further and further into the emotions he had tried to suppress for nearly two years. Taehyung had finally reached his limit and exploded in front of someone that wouldn't judge or criticise him for having these thoughts.
Well, that's what he hoped for.
But when he saw Hoseok hesitantly approach him until the tips of their shoes touched and their body heats mingled, Taehyung exhaled a stuttering breath and blinked up at Hoseok with so much vulnerability that a single touch could be enough to make him shatter into millions of glass shards.
'I wish I hadn't...' Taehyung paused, allowing his hands to hover in the air between them and eyes to fall down on Hoseok's muscular chest. His movements had faltered after finally registering the fact that he shouldn't be saying things like that to anyone that wasn't Jimin or Jin because others could use it as a weakness against him and their gang. Yet as Hoseok lifted his hand and wrapped his warm fingers around Taehyung's clenched fist, the puppy eyed boy swallowed and blinked up at him.
"It's okay." Hoseok murmured softly, offering Taehyung's a gentle smile that made two small dimples appear above his lips.
And with those simple words and the tone Hoseok had used, Taehyung snapped. He shook Hoseok's hand away and threw up the next signs with so much relief and exhaustion that it created a new flood of tears rushing down his cheeks. Yet this time...those tears were the ones of joy of releasing something that he has been keeping to himself for far too long.
'I wish I hadn't joined The Kitty gang, I hate being in it so much! I'm so scared of dying at the age of twenty five just because I went on some stupid mission. Or I'm scared of suddenly waking up one day and being told that Jimin or Jin died on a mission. I don't want to experience that, I don't know what to do! I don't want to stay there but I also know that I don't have a choice! They'll never let me go, Hoseok, I'm trapped with them until I...until I die.'
After releasing all his pent up thoughts and emotions, Taehyung's hands fell limply to his sides and he leaned forward to rest his forehead against Hoseok's chest. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and inhaled a lungful of the scent of lemon shampoo. Another tear slipped out of Taehyung's eye and rolled along the path created by the previous tears. His nose scrunched up as a sniffle left him, and body tensed when he felt Hoseok's hand hesitantly settled against the back of his head.
"Taehyung, listen to me." Hoseok whispered under his breath after a few seconds ticked by. He wrapped his mind around everything Taehyung had told him and allowed himself to pick out a way that could help him gain the freedom he desired, "Yo- Suga has offered me to come with him when breaking out of this prison, but I have declined. The offer still stands and I can come with you, okay?"
Taehyung's head lifted off of Hoseok's chest and his puffy eyes blinked back at Hoseok in confusion. He tilted his head to the side and wiped away his tears with his fingers. Hoseok sighed, pressing his hands against his face before whirling around and plopping down on his bunk bed. Hoseok leaned forward and placed his elbows on top of his knees, his eyes grew a bit dusty and face hardened as he thought about something.
Taehyung watched him carefully before finally gaining enough courage to approach Hoseok and sit down on the bed next to him. Even though there was a bit of a distance between them, Hoseok didn't take it to heart- knowing full well that Taehyung still had problems with touching people.
Hoseok's head lifted and gaze slid over to Taehyung, he observed the puppy eyed boy before nodding to himself and parting his lips to speak, "If I break out of here with you, after we leave, both of us need to go away." Taehyung's eyes bulged and head snapped towards Hoseok, the latter immediately sensed the panic blooming inside Taehyung, which led to him scooting further away from Tae and raising his arms up in surrender, "I know it sounds bad and blunt, but judging by what you said to me, a part of you is willing to risk it."
Hoseok observed Taehyung carefully as if anything he would say would influence the already vulnerable mindset Tae was in. So instead of approaching Taehyung and coaxing him to agree to his plan with sweet caresses and gentle touches, Hoseok stayed rooted in his spot a metre away from Taehyung with only their eyes as a connection between them.
"Listen, we could get away from Korea and from the Kitty gang. Let's not tell anyone about this and make them think that we're going to go back to our old lives. But when the opportunity presents itself...let's run away." Hoseok stated confidently, not once breaking eye-contact with Taehyung or losing the soft crumbs of fondness sprinkled along his features, "We could go somewhere sunny, with Crystal blue water and bananas growing in trees, we could watch the sun caress the surface of the water each day and enjoy the salty air of the ocean." A faint smile touched both of their faces as Hoseok painted the imagine along the seams of their minds.
They both allowed themselves to drift away from reality for a split second and allowed themselves to sink into the pit of endless possibilities, "Or we could go somewhere cold. We could watch snowflakes fall from the sky and coat the surface of Earth, we could bundle up in blankets and drink hot chocolate in front of a fire place. Hell, we could go out and make snow angels, only to come back home and take warm bubble baths."
Taehyung was full on grinning now- his legs resting on the bed and body turned to face Hoseok. He listened to the words rolling down Hoseok's tongue and allowed the sweet honey drizzled all over them to kiss at his heart. What he was hearing sounded like a dream. It seemed so impossible for Taehyung to run away from the gang life and receive what Hoseok just promised him. He almost wanted to scoff and reel back from the intense amount of hope that Hoseok just gifted him, but once he saw the determination and seriousness on Hoseok's face, Taehyung's smile grew larger and he chewed at his lip- waiting for Hoseok to continue speaking.
A deep chuckle rumbled in the pit of Hoseok's throat at the dreamy look he was receiving. His eyes briefly fleeted along the dark grey cell they were stuck in and the bars shielding them from the sunlight before looking back at Taehyung and losing himself in his eyes, "We can go wherever you want, Taehyung. Why settle for one place when we can travel the world? I promise you that if you agree to what I propose to you, you won't have to stay with me for the rest of your life. You can go wherever you want and with whoever you want, you can go off on your own or go back to join the Kitty gang. It's your choice."
His choice.
Taehyung has never been presented a choice before. Not only Hoseok had given him sugary sweet promises, and hope, but now he gave him choices that didn't result in one of the results being bitter and rotten.
Taehyung almost teared up after hearing it, well, maybe he did tear up a tiny bit. But there was still a part of him that didn't complete submerge to Hoseok's ideal fantasy, 'What about Jimin?' Taehyung raised his hands and signed with a worried frown growing on his lips.
Hoseok sighed and brushed his hair away from his eyes, "If Jimin was in your place, and he came to you and asked if he can leave this lifestyle, would you deny it to him?"
Taehyung wrapped himself around the words and immediately shook his head without a second thought. Hoseok nodded back at him and offered him a dimpled smile, "If Jimin cares about you as much as you care about him, he won't hold you back from being happy." Hoseok told Taehyung- watching as Taehyung shifted uneasily and plucked at the blanket draped over the bed, "And this doesn't have to be the last time you see each other, Jimin can always visit you, or call you."
Taehyung's eyes stayed glued on his fingers as he played with a loose string of the blanket, yet Hoseok noticed the small twitch in his lips. Hoseok observed the puppy eyed boy for a few more moments, immediately noticing that Taehyung seemed to be in another world and didn't even notice as Hoseok got up and went to change into another set of clothes.
Hoseok didn't want to pressure Taehyung or offer him promises of a fairytale that he couldn't make into reality, but he saw how desperately Taehyung needed something to hold onto in order not to lose himself in the darkness surrounding him. Maybe this chance at freedom and the life that Taehyung has always desired, has been the exact thing that he has been waiting for this entire time.